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Saturday, March 30, 2013

Suffering and Holy Saturday

"Now we stand at the threshold of the Easter Triduum. And perhaps we feel we have not made the best use of Lent. We bear a secret guilt like Judas, the betrayer, did. Betrayal is especially grievous, for the one who betrays turns against someone close to him -- someone with whom he is intimate. Indeed, Christ precisely identifies Judas as the one 'who has dipped his hand into the dish with me.' (Mt 26: 23). Through his death, Christ has invited all of us to such intimacy. He comes close to us. He draws us into the inner circle. And yet, like Judas, we so often refuse his offer and turn against him. How many times do we choose our own justifications over his will? We prefer to 'win,' to be right, to have the final say. And if that doesn't work, there is always that last desperate shot at having it our way: despair. Despairing, we make our own dark interpretation of the future a reality. And we find ourselves alone. Like Judas, we choose loneliness. But there is another option before us now: Mary. Judas chooses loneliness. Mary chooses to stay. Standing at the foot of the cross, her heart is pierced with his. We too can join our deepest sufferings to his. Suddenly, we are no longer alone."